It only took about four hours to lift all the machines down and place them in the brand new addition of the fitness center. It took much longer to haul them up by hand years ago.

"I posted on our Facebook page on Sunday night that we were ready to open the new area on Monday morning," Hall says. "I said we were ready for them (members) and asked if they were ready to come in."

They were. Cars were lined up throughout the Faribault County fairgrounds on Monday morning as everyone wanted to be first to try out the new fitness room.

"We spent some time making sure everything fit in the right place," Hall says. "And, we added a couple of new machines, some treadmills, so we needed room for them as well."

Hall says she cannot believe all these machines fit into the cramped upstairs space they had been in for years.

"Now we have room for people to move around and go from machine to machine," she says. "It is so nice."

All the members agreed with Hall, saying they were very impressed with the new facility. The only concern expressed was about the new shower heads in the locker room.

"They really send out a spray, compared to the old ones," Hall says.

While the new exercise area is open and being used, the full addition and the overall remodeling still has a ways to go.

"We have the main area and the new locker rooms open," Hall says. "But we haven't moved the old office to its new space yet."

There is a reason for that. The center is still using the old entrance doors for a while, until landscaping can be completed in front of the brand new entrance on the new addition.

There is still construction going on as well. Workers were busy last week demolishing the inside walls of the old locker rooms in preparation of turning the area into a new aerobic exercise room.

"It is still a little inconvenient for our members," Hall says. "They have to come in the old door, get by the construction and walk through the tennis court area to get to the new exercise room. But, eventually they will be able to just come in the new main door to the workout area."

So far, however, everyone was so happy with the new addition they didn't bother to complain about a little temporary inconvenience.